Imagery examples

Kanye West-Hey Mama


[Verse 1]
I wanna tell the whole world about a friend of mine
This little light of mine and I'm finna let it shine
I'm finna take yall back to them better times
I'm finna talk about my mama if yall don't mind
I was three years old, when you and I moved to the Chi
Late December, harsh winter gave me a cold
You fixed me up something that was good for my soul
Famous homemade chicken soup, can I have another bowl?
You work late nights just to keep on the lights
Mommy got me training wheels so I could keep on my bike

This song uses great examples of the love Kanye West has for his mother, Donda West, which has only grown since her death. The opening line starts the lines about how he only loves and respects his mother by saying “I wanna scream so loud for you, cuz I'm so proud of you”. Other lines that are examples of imagery are “And you never put no man over me, and I love you for that mommy can’t you see?”, “I said mommy Imma love you till you don't hurt no more, and when I'm older, you aint gotta work no more”, and “It don't gotta be Mother's Day, or your birthday, for me to just call and say, Hey Mama.” All of these lyrics show how much Kanye cares for his mother and would do anything for her.



Love Lockdown- Kanye West

I got somethin' to lose, so I gotta move
I can't keep myself and still keep you too
So I keep in mind when I'm on my own
Somewhere far from home, in the danger zone
How many times did I tell ya ?for it finally got through?
You lose, you lose
I'm not lovin' you the way I wanted to
See I had to go, see I had to move
No more wastin' time, you can't wait for life
We're just racin? time, where's the finish line?

I'm not lovin' you the way I wanted to
Where I wanna go, I don't need you
I've been down this road, too many times before
I'm not lovin' you the way I wanted to
So keep your love locked down, your love locked down
Keepin' your love locked down, your love locked down
I keep your love locked down, your love locked down
I keep your love locked down, you lose
You lose, you lose, you lose, you lose

This song took an opposite approach and talks about how he is not in love with the girl anymore. There is something just not right anymore and he has to get away from her. The lines "I got somethin' to lose, so I gotta move I can't keep myself and still keep you too" are saying that he cannot go on with the girl or else he will be able to keep himself. The lines "No more wastin' time, you can't wait for life
We're just racin' time, where's the finish line?" say the same thing. He needs to get out of the relationship he is in and move on.

Both of these songs contain great examples of imagery. You can feel the struggle he is facing in Love Lockdown and his love in Hey Mama. You can picture yourself in his shoes and see what it's like for him

Hey Mama: West, Kanye. "Hey Mama." Kanye West. The College Dropout. Roc-A-Fella. Feb. 10 2004

Love Lockdown: West, Kanye. "Love Lockdown."
Bhasker, Jeff; Esthero; Menzies, Laneah; West, Kanye; Yusef, Malik. 808s and Heartbreak. Roc-A-Fella. September 18, 2008.